S. Clay Wilson: Difference between revisions
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'''Steve Clay Wilson''' (born July 25, 1941), better known as '''S. Clay Wilson''', is an American [[underground art|underground]] [[cartoonist]] and central figure in the [[underground comix]] movement. Wilson attracted attentioin from readers with aggressively violent and sexually explicit panoramas of [[Low-life|lowlife]] denizens, often depicting the wild escapades of [[Piracy|pirates]] and [[motorcycle|bikers]]. He was an early contributor to ''[[Zap Comix]]'', and Wilson's artistic audacity has been cited by [[R. Crumb]] as a liberating source of inspiration for Crumb's own work. |
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==Life and work== |
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==Underground comix== |
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⚫ | Born in [[Lincoln, Nebraska]], Wilson attended the [[University of Nebraska]]. |
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In California, Wilson met up with [[Charles Plymell]], who was publishing [[Robert Crumb]]'s ''[[Zap Comix]]''. Wilson needed little persuasion to contribute to ''Zap''. His work was praised by such counterculture icons as [[William S. Burroughs]] and [[Terry Southern]]. |
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Wilson was featured in ''[[The Rip Off Review of Western Culture]]'', in which he contributed to the three issues that were published in 1972. The third issue of November/December 1972 has an extensive interview with |
Wilson was featured in ''[[The Rip Off Review of Western Culture]]'', in which he contributed to the three issues that were published in 1972. The third issue of November/December 1972 has an extensive interview with |
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According to Plymell (an editor of ''Grist'' magazine), Wilson's first published work was in 1966 in ''Grist #7'' magazine (a poetry magazine by John Fowler) and then in ''Grist'' #9, also from that same year. The first appearance of the Checkered Demon is said to have been in an ad in a later issue of ''Grist''. His portfolio was printed the following year in 1967 (with subsequent printings later on in comic book form). |
According to Plymell (an editor of ''Grist'' magazine), Wilson's first published work was in 1966 in ''Grist #7'' magazine (a poetry magazine by John Fowler) and then in ''Grist'' #9, also from that same year. The first appearance of the Checkered Demon is said to have been in an ad in a later issue of ''Grist''. His portfolio was printed the following year in 1967 (with subsequent printings later on in comic book form). |
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A striking feature of Wilson's work is the contrast between the literate way in which his characters speak and think and the depraved violence in which they engage. Wilson's later work became more ghoulish, featuring zombie pirates and visualizations of the [[Our Lady of Guadalupe|Virgin of Guadalupe]] as a rotting vampire mother. In many respects, however, his work has remained consistent since his emergence in the 1960s. In contrast to the many [[counterculture|countercultural]] figures who have moderated their more extreme tendencies and successfully assimilated into the mainstream of commercial culture, Wilson's work has remained troubling to mainstream sensibilities and defiantly ill-mannered. |
A striking feature of Wilson's work is the contrast between the literate way in which his characters speak and think and the depraved violence in which they engage. Wilson's later work became more ghoulish, featuring zombie pirates and visualizations of the [[Our Lady of Guadalupe|Virgin of Guadalupe]] as a rotting vampire mother. In many respects, however, his work has remained consistent since his emergence in the 1960s. In contrast to the many [[counterculture|countercultural]] figures who have moderated their more extreme tendencies and successfully assimilated into the mainstream of commercial culture, Wilson's work has remained troubling to mainstream sensibilities and defiantly ill-mannered. |
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His illustrations for Burroughs' ''Cities For The Red Night'' and ''The Wild Boys'' were published in German editions by 2001 Publishing. In 1994, he began interpreting classic children's stories, illustrating [[Hans Christian Andersen]] and the [[Brothers Grimm]], as he explained to interviewers Jon Randall and Wesley Joost: |
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:I did a children's book entitled ''Wilson's Andersen''. I always wanted to be a children's book illustrator way back when, but I took some LSD and took a left turn graphically. We got William Burroughs to write us a little blurb on the back, but they misspelled Burroughs! How could they do that! The stories are pretty lugubrious—"The Rose Elf", for instance—where the woman is kissing the "cold blue dead lips" of her lovers' head. Later versions leave all this stuff out. Disney takes a great old story and they "bleach" it—as they used to say about music. To make it palatable and generic. These stories are supposed to scare the shit out of little kids so they'll eat all their broccoli.<ref>[http://sonic.net/~goblin/8wilson.html Randall, Jon and Wesley Joost. "Please Cap'n Pissgums, |
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Don't Cut 'Em Both Off!"]</ref> |
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The stories in ''Wilson's Grimm'' (Cottage Classics, 1999) include "Snow White", "The Spirit in the Bottle", "The Valiant Little Tailor", "The Devil with the Three Gold Hairs", "Hansel and Gretel", "Bearskin" and "The Master Thief".<ref>[http://www.word-play.com/books/grimm.html Word-Play: ''Wilson's Grimm'', Cottage Classics, 1999.]</ref> |
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[[Last Gasp]] collected Wilson's comics in ''Checkered Demon Anthology, Vol. 1'' from [[Last Gasp]]. ''The Art of S. Clay Wilson'', published in 2006 by [[Ten Speed Press]], covers his prints and paintings as well as his comics work. |
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==Brain injury== |
==Brain injury== |
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On November 8, 2008, Wilson suffered a severe brain injury.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/11/s_clay_wilson_suffers_severe_b.html ''The Oregonian'']</ref> After attending the [[Alternative Press Expo]] in San Francisco and drinking throughout the day, Wilson left the house of a friend and was found by two passersby, face down and unconscious between parked cars. Among his injuries were a fractured neck; it is not known if he was assaulted or passed out.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/11/s_clay_wilson_so_much_of_his_b.html S. Clay Wilson: "So Much of His Brain is Damaged"]</ref> |
On November 8, 2008, Wilson suffered a severe brain injury.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/11/s_clay_wilson_suffers_severe_b.html ''The Oregonian'']</ref> After attending the [[Alternative Press Expo]] in San Francisco and drinking throughout the day, Wilson left the house of a friend and was found by two passersby, face down and unconscious between parked cars. Among his injuries were a fractured neck; it is not known if he was assaulted or passed out.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/11/s_clay_wilson_so_much_of_his_b.html S. Clay Wilson: "So Much of His Brain is Damaged"]</ref><ref>[http://www.comicmix.com/news/2008/11/10/s-clay-wilson-hospitalized/ Greenberger, Robert. "S. Clay Wilson Hospitalized". ComicMix, November 10, 2008.]</ref> |
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After a week in intensive care, Wilson was put on an accelerated therapy program, but he still showed major difficulty in summoning words, a common form of [[aphasia]] following a trauma of this sort.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/11/s_clay_wilson_out_of_icu.html Steve Duin]</ref> He had recovered enough to write his own signature in the first week of December, but continued to require hospitalization as of the end of December 2008,<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/12/s_clay_wilson_the_long_and_win.html Steve Duin]</ref> when a benefit was held to assist with his medical costs.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/12/s_clay_wilson_benefit.html Steve Duin]</ref> |
After a week in intensive care, Wilson was put on an accelerated therapy program, but he still showed major difficulty in summoning words, a common form of [[aphasia]] following a trauma of this sort.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/11/s_clay_wilson_out_of_icu.html Steve Duin]</ref> He had recovered enough to write his own signature in the first week of December, but continued to require hospitalization as of the end of December 2008,<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/12/s_clay_wilson_the_long_and_win.html Steve Duin]</ref> when a benefit was held to assist with his medical costs.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/12/s_clay_wilson_benefit.html Steve Duin]</ref> |
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Another benefit was held in Hollywood in March 2009. Wilson returned home in November 2009, able to draw well and speak a little but still requiring special care.<ref>[http://www.sclaywilsontrust.com/ Wilson and Me: An Update, July 2010.]</ref> |
Another benefit was held in Hollywood in March 2009. Wilson returned home in November 2009, able to draw well and speak a little but still requiring special care.<ref>[http://www.sclaywilsontrust.com/ "Wilson and Me: An Update", July 2010.]</ref> |
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==S. Clay Wilson characters== |
==S. Clay Wilson characters== |
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*[http://www.sclaywilsontrust.com/2010/07/16/wilson-and-me/#more-1 S. Clay Wilson Special Needs Trust] |
*[http://www.sclaywilsontrust.com/2010/07/16/wilson-and-me/#more-1 S. Clay Wilson Special Needs Trust] |
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*[http://lambiek.net/artists/w/wilson.htm Lambiek: S. Clay Wilson] |
*[http://lambiek.net/artists/w/wilson.htm Lambiek: S. Clay Wilson] |
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*[http://sonic.net/~goblin/8wilson.html Interview with Wilson] |
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*[http://www.word-play.com/books/grimm.html ''Grimm'' by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, Illustrated by S. Clay Wilson] |
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Revision as of 12:47, 14 February 2012
S. Clay Wilson | |
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Born | |
Occupation | Cartoonist |
Steve Clay Wilson (born July 25, 1941), better known as S. Clay Wilson, is an American underground cartoonist and central figure in the underground comix movement. Wilson attracted attentioin from readers with aggressively violent and sexually explicit panoramas of lowlife denizens, often depicting the wild escapades of pirates and bikers. He was an early contributor to Zap Comix, and Wilson's artistic audacity has been cited by R. Crumb as a liberating source of inspiration for Crumb's own work.
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Wilson drew from age 12 and attended the University of Nebraska. Trained as a medic in the United States Army, he held odd jobs before moving to San Francisco in 1968. Wilson lived in Lawrence, Kansas, before moving West.
Underground comix
![noframe](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e8/Wilson%27s_Grimm_cover.jpg/300px-Wilson%27s_Grimm_cover.jpg)
In California, Wilson met up with Charles Plymell, who was publishing Robert Crumb's Zap Comix. Wilson needed little persuasion to contribute to Zap. His work was praised by such counterculture icons as William S. Burroughs and Terry Southern.
Wilson was featured in The Rip Off Review of Western Culture, in which he contributed to the three issues that were published in 1972. The third issue of November/December 1972 has an extensive interview with Wilson, interviewed by Robert Follett, the editorial director of the magazine/comic book.
According to Plymell (an editor of Grist magazine), Wilson's first published work was in 1966 in Grist #7 magazine (a poetry magazine by John Fowler) and then in Grist #9, also from that same year. The first appearance of the Checkered Demon is said to have been in an ad in a later issue of Grist. His portfolio was printed the following year in 1967 (with subsequent printings later on in comic book form).
A striking feature of Wilson's work is the contrast between the literate way in which his characters speak and think and the depraved violence in which they engage. Wilson's later work became more ghoulish, featuring zombie pirates and visualizations of the Virgin of Guadalupe as a rotting vampire mother. In many respects, however, his work has remained consistent since his emergence in the 1960s. In contrast to the many countercultural figures who have moderated their more extreme tendencies and successfully assimilated into the mainstream of commercial culture, Wilson's work has remained troubling to mainstream sensibilities and defiantly ill-mannered.
His illustrations for Burroughs' Cities For The Red Night and The Wild Boys were published in German editions by 2001 Publishing. In 1994, he began interpreting classic children's stories, illustrating Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, as he explained to interviewers Jon Randall and Wesley Joost:
- I did a children's book entitled Wilson's Andersen. I always wanted to be a children's book illustrator way back when, but I took some LSD and took a left turn graphically. We got William Burroughs to write us a little blurb on the back, but they misspelled Burroughs! How could they do that! The stories are pretty lugubrious—"The Rose Elf", for instance—where the woman is kissing the "cold blue dead lips" of her lovers' head. Later versions leave all this stuff out. Disney takes a great old story and they "bleach" it—as they used to say about music. To make it palatable and generic. These stories are supposed to scare the shit out of little kids so they'll eat all their broccoli.[1]
The stories in Wilson's Grimm (Cottage Classics, 1999) include "Snow White", "The Spirit in the Bottle", "The Valiant Little Tailor", "The Devil with the Three Gold Hairs", "Hansel and Gretel", "Bearskin" and "The Master Thief".[2]
Last Gasp collected Wilson's comics in Checkered Demon Anthology, Vol. 1 from Last Gasp. The Art of S. Clay Wilson, published in 2006 by Ten Speed Press, covers his prints and paintings as well as his comics work.
Brain injury
On November 8, 2008, Wilson suffered a severe brain injury.[3] After attending the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco and drinking throughout the day, Wilson left the house of a friend and was found by two passersby, face down and unconscious between parked cars. Among his injuries were a fractured neck; it is not known if he was assaulted or passed out.[4][5]
After a week in intensive care, Wilson was put on an accelerated therapy program, but he still showed major difficulty in summoning words, a common form of aphasia following a trauma of this sort.[6] He had recovered enough to write his own signature in the first week of December, but continued to require hospitalization as of the end of December 2008,[7] when a benefit was held to assist with his medical costs.[8] Another benefit was held in Hollywood in March 2009. Wilson returned home in November 2009, able to draw well and speak a little but still requiring special care.[9]
S. Clay Wilson characters
Tree Frog Beer is the drink of choice for many of these characters.
- The Checkered Demon
- Star-eyed Stella
- Captain Pissgums and his Pervert Pirates
- Ruby the Dyke
- Hog Riding Fools (motorcycle gang)
- Club Choad Charley (a member of the Hog Riding Fools)
References
- ^ [http://sonic.net/~goblin/8wilson.html Randall, Jon and Wesley Joost. "Please Cap'n Pissgums, Don't Cut 'Em Both Off!"]
- ^ Word-Play: Wilson's Grimm, Cottage Classics, 1999.
- ^ The Oregonian
- ^ S. Clay Wilson: "So Much of His Brain is Damaged"
- ^ Greenberger, Robert. "S. Clay Wilson Hospitalized". ComicMix, November 10, 2008.
- ^ Steve Duin
- ^ Steve Duin
- ^ Steve Duin
- ^ "Wilson and Me: An Update", July 2010.
External links
- S. Clay Wilson Special Needs Trust
- Lambiek: S. Clay Wilson
- "The Underground Genius Surfaces" by Charles Plymell